3 Reasons for Misalignment
Every biotech leader has lived this moment: a room full of smart people, united by a shared mission, yet somehow leaving a meeting more misaligned than when they entered. What should have been straightforward instead results in frustration, silos, and rework.
Why does this happen?
Since 2008, I’ve worked closely with SchellingPoint, an applied management research firm specializing in group decision-making and strategic collaboration. I earned their Collaboration Architect Certification and have incorporated their methods, software, and research into both my professional practice and my daily problem-solving. Their findings consistently reveal a surprising truth: Misalignment is rarely about motives.
The Three Reasons for Misalignment
SchellingPoint’s research identifies three recurring causes:
Different Drivers – We assume others have hidden agendas or are “empire building.” While this does happen, it’s far less common than most people believe.
Different Data – People reference different evidence, experiences, or benchmarks, leading them to different conclusions.
Different Dictionary – Teams use the same words, but mean different things by them.
The pattern is consistent:
95% of participants assume misalignment comes from different drivers.
In reality, 60% of misalignments stem from different dictionaries, and 35% from different data.
That means most conflict arises not from bad intent but from unclear words or mismatched evidence.
A Practical Example: Launch Readiness
Consider something as basic—but essential—as plotting a milestone for “Launch Readiness.”
In nearly every client engagement, someone senior asks: “Should we add a milestone for Launch Readiness at L-x months?”
Here’s the problem: “Launch Readiness” means very different things across functions. To one person it signals regulatory approval, to another it’s commercial supply chain readiness, and to someone else it’s the point at which the field force is fully trained.
So we pause for a structured discussion:
Driver – Leader, what’s your purpose for plotting ‘Launch Readiness’? What should it signal has been accomplished?
Dictionary – Let’s define it together, because everyone in this room sees it differently.
Data – When should it be positioned? What benchmarks or past experiences inform your judgment?
For me, launch readiness means that a defined set of business capabilities are sufficiently in place to shift focus to Day Zero planning—the cascade of actions and communications that occur directly after launch.
Your definition may differ. And that’s the point: clarity only comes from surfacing the assumptions, not assuming shared meaning.
Why This Matters in Emerging Biotech
Emerging biopharma organizations are under enormous pressure. Limited resources, compressed timelines, and high-stakes decisions magnify the cost of misalignment. A milestone plotted incorrectly, a strategy framed ambiguously, or an assumption left untested can ripple across the enterprise.
That’s why the Three Reasons for Misalignment is such a powerful, practical framework. By diagnosing whether disagreement is about drivers, data, or dictionary, leaders can resolve most conflicts quickly and constructively—before they calcify into organizational drift.
Putting It Into Practice
Here are three simple habits you can bring to your next strategy or planning session:
Test the Words – Ask, “What does that word mean to you?” Draw a diagram or rephrase until the team converges on a shared definition.
Test the Data – Ask, “What evidence are you referencing? Can you share it?” Often, simply putting the same facts on the table resolves the issue.
Test the Drivers – When motives are in question, probe gently: “What are you concerned about losing—personally, for your team, or for the company?” Drivers are often the flipside of risk perceptions.
By working in this order—dictionary, then data, then drivers—you’ll solve 95% of misalignments before they derail progress.
Final Thought
Misalignment is inevitable. What matters is how you diagnose it. Instead of attributing conflict to politics or hidden agendas, start with the simpler (and more common) causes: mismatched words and mismatched evidence.
It’s a shift in mindset that can save hours of unproductive debate—and in emerging biotech, where every decision counts, that’s time and energy you can’t afford to waste.
